Abyss of Minds
by MoonytheMarauder1
Summary: When Andromeda Black is captured, Rodolphus Lestrange sees his opportunity to be with her once more. High T. Warnings for adultery, character death, language, torture, injury, sexual implications (nothing terrible because I'm me) Unhappy ending


**A/N: Hey y'all! This was written for Hogwarts. Prompts below. :)**

**Sex Ed Task 1: Write about breaking or building a wall **

**Word Count: 3882**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling. **

**WARNINGS: Adultery, character death, language, torture, injury, sexual implications**

**Enjoy!**

Rodolphus Lestrange was lying sprawled across the love seat in the sitting room of his family manor, a glass of wine held loosely in his fingers. He stared into the roaring fire in the hearth, eyes black and cold. It had been a successful day on the battlefield for him, and he was enjoying the time to himself he'd been given as a reward.

He took a sip of the wine, listening to the crackle of the flames. The war, he thought, was going marvellously. The Order of the Phoenix couldn't keep up with their advances, dozens of Muggles were dying a day, and his master was closer than ever to creating the world he envisioned. A world where wizarding children couldn't be tainted by those with dirty blood, where social class would be righted at last—a world where Rodolphus would come out on top.

He laughed softly to himself, a small smile playing on his lips. The day was approaching; he could feel it.

He turned his head when the door opened, ripped from his musings. His annoyance faded away when he saw that it was Bellatrix, his wife, who interrupted him.

"I thought you were visiting your sister," he said by way of greeting.

A cruel smile appeared on the Black's lips, and her dark eyes glittered dangerously. "I was, but not Narcissa. The Dark Lord requests our presence."

Rodolphus frowned. He would go, of course—no one could deny the summons of the Dark Lord—but he didn't like this intrusion of his free time. "I thought we were dismissed for the day," he complained. "Whatever calls us there better be worth our while."

Bellatrix lifted her chin slightly, casting the majority of her pale face in shadow. "It will be."

* * *

She was right. Waiting for them at Malfoy Manor, where the Dark Lord had taken up residence as of late, was someone Rodolphus had never expected to see again.

Andromeda Black, looking just as stunning as she had in school.

She was being kept in the basement, and when they opened the door she flinched away from the light. Her head was lowered, but not in submission—Rodolphus recognized this as a calculated act of defiance. She was avoiding looking at her sister, most likely in hopes that Bellatrix would get close enough for Andromeda to spit in her face.

She always had been charming, that one.

Bellatrix looked down at her captured sister with unmasked glee. Her sharp features looked beautifully sinister in the dim light, but Rodolphus saw the way she was glancing at their master. He wasn't blind to the fact that Bellatrix was… unhealthily obsessed with the Dark Lord. He was her only weakness, which was something Rodolphus admired in her—the Dark Lord was anything but weak, so it was unlikely that his wife could ever be undone.

He didn't mind that her affections lay elsewhere; it was a matrimonial union, nothing more. Besides that, she had never been the Black he wanted.

He heard the Dark Lord speak, heard Bellatrix's delighted cackle—Andromeda had been left in their hands, then. Rodolphus felt a grin spread slowly over his features as he regarded the woman chained to the floor. He looked over to his wife, who seemed to barely be containing her excitement.

"I'll interview her," he offered lazily. "You go get ready for the… fun part."

Bellatrix's dark lips curled up in something truly sinister. "As you wish," she responded. She turned back to her little sister, who still hadn't raised her eyes. "I hope you give my husband a hard time, sister." Bellatrix descended the stairs into the cellar, then leaned down to whisper in the other woman's ear, loud enough that Rodolphus could still hear. "It makes my job so much more fun, you see."

"I won't tell you anything," Andromeda growled. Rodolphus quirked a brow. He hadn't expected such a mild response from her. "I won't tell you anything, no matter what you threaten me with!"

Rodolphus laughed then, shaking his head almost pityingly. "Of course you will. In the end, even those who put up the best of fights cave. What makes you any different?"

Their prisoner lifted her head then, face gaunt but just as beautiful as ever. "I love Sirius too much to give him up. It's something monsters like you would never understand."

Bellatrix's mouth curled down at the mention of her wayward cousin. "You won't have any choice," she snapped. She turned to Rodolphus, her eyes like black oblivion. "Make it quick with her. I can hardly wait to get started."

Rodolphus inclined his head in promise, and Bellatrix left the room. His gaze returned to the woman at his feet. He walked carelessly towards her, staring down at the top of her head. "Fancy seeing you here," he drawled. "I assumed you weren't taking part in this war."

"I'm not," she said steadily. "It seems I'm guilty by association."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps a bit guiltier than that, if you are still in love with that Mudblood. What's his name, again?"

"Ted Tonks," she snapped, "as you very well know. And yes, I still love him."

Yet, Rodolphus noted with glee, there was no ring on her finger. He knelt down beside Andromeda, his mouth near her ear. "Let's get to it then, shall we? Where is Sirius Black?"

She stiffened. "I don't know."

"Yes, you do," he told her. "I know you do. The two estranged Black children? Why _wouldn't_ they reconnect? Now, tell me where he is."

"Never."

He tutted, pinching her chin between his thumb and forefinger and lifting her face towards him. There were dark bags under her eyes, but that didn't dull the fire hidden in them. He tilted his head, intrigued. A challenge, at last.

"Let me advise you on the matter," he whispered. "We always win. It will be so much less painful to answer me here—your sister will be disappointed, yes, but I hear that you rather like it when she is."

Andromeda wrenched her face out of his grip, leaning back as far as the chains holding her would allow. "You are so confident that you will win. You think he's some sort of savior—but he's just as much of a monster as you are."

Rodolphus' eyes darkened dangerously, and for the first time since he saw her, he wanted to scare her. "You would do well not to speak ill of the Dark Lord. It will not end well for you."

Andromeda looked at him distastefully. "I'm with you. What could possibly go well?"

He leaned towards her again, his eyes alight with something he hadn't felt in a very, very long time. It was awakening in his chest, growing and roaring as he stared down at her. "There was a time when you didn't think that way."

Andromeda recoiled, disgusted. "My eyes are open now, Lestrange. And do not forget that you are bonded with my sister."

He shrugged, pulling away slightly. "She is in love with the Dark Lord—are you surprised that she is capable of that emotion at all? I was. But it is fitting, I suppose. She is completely deranged. Trust her to want the one thing she can't have."

She turned her head away, long, limp curls falling off her shoulder as she did so. "You two are alike in that aspect."

He laughed at her. "Don't try to be smart. You know that I'll get what I want, in the end."

"No." Her voice shook with rage and—if Rodolphus was correct—fear. "You won't."

"I'll find a way," he promised. He stood up, brushing off the knees of his robes. "In the meantime, your sister would like to pay you a visit. I'll see you again tomorrow."

Minutes later, Rodolphus left the Manor, Andromeda's screams ringing in his ears. All the while he thought of when she was a child, innocent and corect in her way of thinking. It could have been her he was paired with, instead of her sister. And while he could afford any luxury and wanted for practically nothing, she had been right when she said that both he and Bellatrix had a terrible habit of wanting the things they couldn't have.

* * *

He came back every day with Bellatrix, and every day he left with the chorus of Andromeda's agony in his ears. She was different than he remembered, fiercer, but also a little less hopeful. He wasn't sure what to make of it; all he knew was that he couldn't get her out of his head. There was something about her that he couldn't shake, and for the first time in years, he realized that he had a new weakness.

A month after her original capture, he walked into the Malfoy basement, a spring in his step. He beamed at Andromeda, who didn't even lift her head. He crouched down beside her and brushed a piece of her hair away from her face. She stiffened under his touch.

"I think you're going to have to give your precious cousin up now," Rodolphus whispered softly. "We have Ted."

A horrible gasp escaped her throat, and her eyes were alight with unmasked fear. She was trembling, and the pure _power_ that Rodolphus held over her in that moment was intoxicating.

"Or," he continued just as quietly, unable to resist going for the kill, "we could do this."

He took her face and brushed his lips gently against her chafed, bleeding ones, then pulled back, waiting for her reaction. She gasped against his mouth, her breathing growing ragged.

"What—you still—"

"I want what we had in school," he confirmed, "before you fell for that _Mudblood_."

"I still love him," she protested. "We're together, you can't do this—"

He shrugged. "You're not married. And if you refuse… well, I've harbored quite a lot of hatred towards him for a very long time. The Dark Lord would gladly give him to me."

Andromeda lowered her head, but he still saw the tear that slipped down her cheek. Finally, after several minutes of silence, she raised her head to look at him steadily.

"He'll be safe?"

Rodolphus didn't have to ask for clarification. Her question was clear—_if we do this, will Ted Tonks be safe? Will Sirius?_

"We won't touch the Mudblood," he promised. "But I can't guarantee about your cousin. That's out of my hands."

She closed her eyes, the strength draining from her shoulders. "But we shouldn't," she tried.

He grinned slowly at her. He could get into worlds of trouble for consorting with a blood traitor, but he didn't' care in that moment. "I know. That's what makes it fun."

"Your marriage with my sister. There are rules—"

He interrupted her with a bruising kiss, and she was unable to fully pull away with her hands tied behind her back. "Rules are made to be broken. Don't you know that, having broken every one of your family's?"

She didn't respond. She just let him cradle her face in his hands. Love, Rodolphus though viciously, was always the reason for the good's downfall.

As he trailed his lips down her jaw, careful not to leave any lasting marks that would be difficult to spell away, he pretended not to notice the way she shook from devastation. In his mind, she was enjoying this just as much as he was—why shouldn't she? He had everything. There was nothing that he couldn't obtain.

If Andromeda Black was the exception—if he couldn't have her completely—then he would feed off her desperation and have her the only way he could.

When he left, Bellatrix went in. His wife didn't spare him a second glance, and elation pumped through his veins. She would never know that he hadn't interviewed her sister, that he was being unfaithful—for once, she was the one in the dark.

He didn't even hear Andromeda's screams when he left.

* * *

Weeks went by like a flash, and Rodolphus found himself looking forward to his time with Andromeda more and more. Even the night he spent with Bellatrix couldn't get that face out of his mind.

She had begun responding. She kissed him back, almost hungrily, and he returned the enthusiasm. He wasn't idiotic enough to think that it was because of him—Bellatrix's magic had ways of twisting the mind until you couldn't even recognize it anymore. Andromeda wanted to feel loved in that prison—she _needed _to. He was there, providing a way, and she was pouncing on it.

He embraced it. He didn't know if she'd forgotten Ted Tonks yet—who, in truth, had never been there at all—but he liked to think that she had. He ignored how thin she was getting, how weak she was. He conveniently missed the way her hair hung dead around her face, or how sunken her eyes looked. The blood on her face became the only color on her body, but he didn't care because that _fire_ that he always loved was still there. And as soon as he thought that, he realized that he needed her to survive.

He loved her. Toxically, unhealthily, obsessively—but he still loved her. She was dangerous to him in this way. But when her hands were clawing at his back, he found he didn't care.

One night, Rodolphus was lounging in his bed with Bellatrix against his chest, thinking of someone entirely different. His wife had her hand in his hair, and his unshaven cheek was pressed against the side of her head. She tilted her mouth up to his and he complied, his eyes never leaving the book open in his lap.

She laughed suddenly, cruel eyes bright with knowledge. "You've gotten bored of me," she observed, "haven't you?"

He raised a brow cooly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "As if you were ever interested in me. You look where you want to… and I'll look where I want."

She hummed. "Are you up to a little fun, Rodolphus? Or are you too caught up in this mysterious woman to think of me?"

His stomach churned at the thought of being with her in that way, but he pushed it aside. It had begun to terrify him as of late, the things Andromeda made him feel. It was so much more than lust now, but he refused to bend to his heart's will.

He set his book aside. "I'm always up to a little fun."

It never happened, however; at that very moment, their Dark Marks burned like fire, shooting pain up their arms and making them double over against each other. Rodolphus was gritting his teeth, trying to control his breathing, but Bellatrix was laughing from sheer exhilaration.

Their master was calling them.

* * *

Andromeda was breathing heavily, her wrists raw and bloody from where the shackles had chafed them. Her eyes were closed, but she could smell the sharp scent of iron, feel every bruise and wound on her body, taste the bile and blood in her mouth…. It was overwhelming, and she longed for the end of the pain. Anything—she would take anything but the pain.

Everything had fallen apart. With every scream, she felt that she lost more of herself. She couldn't remember how she had gotten here, or why they continued to torture her so—such was the destruction of her mind. But there was one man who was a reprieve from it all, whom she cherished above all others. His dark hair was so comforting to touch, and he held her like he wanted her just as much as she wanted him. Stirrings of some long-forgotten feeling came to life whenever she saw him, and though she knew on some level that what was happening was wrong, she craved his touch so badly that she pushed her conscious aside.

This was hell. That much was obvious. And he was an angel, illuminated by the light, her one distraction from the monsters that plagued her and the fire she couldn't figure out how to succumb to. If she couldn't die in this place, then she would take those precious few minutes of reckless love with him.

When the doors burst open before her, Andromeda cowered away from the light. When she looked up despite herself, her shoulders relaxed.

"You're here," she croaked.

Rodolphus nodded quickly, whipping out his wand. Nerves began to take hold of Andromeda, and her thin frame started to tremble. "What are you doing?"

Her voice was stronger than she felt.

He knelt down beside her, and she bonds vanished with a flick of his wand. "They have come for you," he murmured, fire in his eyes. "Like hell I'm letting them take you."

She didn't know who "they" were—she just flung her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. He seemed surprised, but he responded with vigor. She pulled away soon, exhausted.

"What are we supposed to do?"

They were in danger; that much was clear to her broken mind. But Rodolphus was taking charge now, and she wouldn't stop him.

"I am going to get you out of here," he promised. "The Dark Lord might save you for me yet, but if the Order finds you we will be lost. You need to follow me."

He wrenched her to her feet, and she swayed dangerously. It had been so long since she had used her legs that they couldn't support her now, and she fell heavily against him. He shover her back up roughly, and she caught his wrists to keep her balance.

He was right in front of her, staring into her eyes. She couldn't remember where she had first met him, but he was the only friendly face in this place. But she needed to know the answer to the questions that had been accumulating for so long…

"Who is after me?" she asked softly. "Rodolphus, tell me, please."

He stared at her for a moment before saying roughly, "The Order of the Phoenix."

She wasn't all there, but she knew his expressions by now. He was the only thing she could be sure of. "What aren't you telling me?"

Rodolphus didn't answer for a long time. Finally, he said, "A man… Ted Tonks. He's not a good man, but he's coming for you—come with me."

_Ted Tonks._ The name struck a chord with her. Flashes of gentle eyes and hands flew before her eyes, a smile that was meant only for her—but most of all, there was no pain to accompany the images of this man. Pain always came before she saw Rodolphus, and it always came after him.

"I… I know him," she whispered.

Dark eyes narrowed. "You don't."

Andromeda's eyes widened. "I _do_."

He grabbed her face suddenly, pulling her lips to his desperately, possessively, and that's when she _knew_. She couldn't find the answers she sought with the man in front of her.

Weak limbs finding temporary strength, Andromeda shoved him away. "No," she said, voice low and hard. "You don't get to do that anymore."

She was backing away from him, towards the door. Rodolphus stared after her. "You can't go," he said harshly. "They are after you! The Dark Lord will be angry when he learns I've let you go. He'll kill us both."

She shook her head, greasy hair flying about her face. "What are we supposed to do? Hide?" She was trembling, but she didn't care. She wouldn't go with him if it saved her life. "I want to see the sun. I'm tired of living in this darkness."

He tried to pull her in to kiss her again, but she wrenched herself away from him. She didn't know what he really felt for her, but now there was someone who needed her just as Rodolphus had seemed to. But Ted didn't take from her—he gave himself back.

She left the room before Rodolphus could protest. He was the darkness, he always came with the darkness. She needed to find her light.

* * *

She was gone.

It was a stunning realization. After all those months of holding her and _needing_ her, he mentioned the name Ted Tonks and she remembered better times. He had broken her down, reduced her to something neither of them recognized, but the Mudblood still won her heart.

The sounds of the battle grew louder, bringing Rodolphus out of his thoughts. He ran towards the door, heart in his mouth. If anyone found him here, it would be the end. He ran through the Manor, searching desperately for any signs of Andromeda. If she hated him for the rest of their lives, he still had to save her.

He dodged past duellers and flying spells, shoving aside both friends and foes alike. He needed to leave this place immediately. He searched the crowds for long, dark hair and a too-thin frame—

There. She was standing before a window, looking wildly around for a face she recognized and didn't fear. He realized with a jolt of horror that unless Tonks was in the crowd, she wouldn't find one. She was lost in her own hell.

He rushed towards her, but her sister had already spotted her. Black eyes glinting cruelly, Bellatrix lifted her wand, letting a jet of red light burst forth. Andromeda never stood a chance.

Rodolphus watched as the light his the only woman he'd ever loved, watched as her back arched and her face froze, watched the window break as she slammed against it—

And then he watched her fall.

Rodolphus didn't hesitate. He leapt out the window and into the cool night, shouting when he felt his leg snap. It hadn't been far to fall, but he would need to tend to the injury sooner rather than later. He grit his teeth against the pain though, and stumbled over to where Andromeda lay amidst the shattered glass, eyes wide and unseeing.

Rodolphus howled, _screamed_ with a pain he didn't know a man was capable of as he hugged her to his chest, sobbing and cursing. Her body was still warm, but he had seen enough of the dead to know that she couldn't come back from this—that she couldn't come back to him.

Maybe she never would have been able to. Maybe Andromeda Black had died the moment she fell into his arms. Maybe he had killed her.

He thought of the way her spirit had drained, how she had latched herself onto him because when he was there, Bellatrix was not. That hadn't been her. He'd never had her to begin with.

A hand on his shoulder interrupted his grieving. He looked up to see his wife, a sadistic smile on her face, peering down at him.

"The Dark Lord will hunt you," she told him. "Run or don't run; he will find you."

Rodolphus looked down at Andromeda. "I am my own worst enemy," he told Bellatrix emotionlessly. "Let him come. I am _already dead_."

It was true; in loving her he had given up all he had. He was a marked man now—there was no hope for him left. He didn't have any desire to fight it.

Bellatrix was laughing, but Rodolphus could only stare at those eyes. When the Dark Lord came for him, they were the last things on his mind.

**A/N: **

**Writing Club: **

**Assorted Appreciation 10. Write about being in love with the person you're not currently with. **

**Disney Challenge: Dialogue 2. "But we shouldn't." / "I know. That's what makes it fun."**

**Book Club: The Magus — (dialogue) "Don't try to be smart.", (emotion) desperate, (word) advise**

**Showtime: 6. Sandy — Alt. Write about being walked out on.**

**Amber's Attic: 6. (genre) tragedy (5 bonus points)**

**Sophie's Shelf: 2. "I am my own worst enemy."**

**Liza's Lodes: 8. Write about someone relaxing**

**Angel's Arcade: Serah Farron — (relationship) sister, (word) savior, (action) hugging**

**Lo's Lowdown: Dialogue 6. "Rules are made to be broken."**

**Bex's Basement: 7. Write about adultery **

**Film Festival: 23. (dialogue) "What are we supposed to do?"; 28. (item) window**


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